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Turning performance in a moving airstream

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

M. E. Eshelby
M. E. Eshelby*
Affiliation:
National Flying Laboratory CentreCollege of AeronauticsCranfield UniversityBedford, UK
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Abstract

This paper develops the theory of turning flight in a moving air mass to explain some of the problems encountered in making downwind turns, particularly in light aircraft. Although the basic mechanics of flight and aerodynamics of the aircraft are well understood, the methods used by the pilot to control the aircraft in turning flight are less well established and can be critical in maintaining a safe flight path. In this paper the effect of the control strategy likely to be employed by a pilot flying close to the ground is used to show how the energy loss during a turn can lead to an unsafe flight path.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 100 , Issue 995 , May 1996 , pp. 151 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1996 

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